Here are some chess puzzles from the games of Emanuel Lasker.
White to move and win except where noted.

Solutions are between the brackets under each puzzle.
Drag your mouse from one bracket to the other.

a)
White Mates in 6. Lasker vs Jacques Mieses, Leipzig, 1889
[ Qf7+ Kh6 Qxg6+ Kxg6 Rg3+ Kh7 Bd3+ ]

b)
Black Mates in 5. Jacques Mieses vs Lasker, Leipzig, 1889
3r3k/pp4pq/1n3B2/2pr4/5P2/Q1P3Pb/P1P1NR1P/R5K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rd1+ Rf1 Qe4 ]

c)
Black to move and win. Henry Bird vs Lasker, New Castle on Tyne, 1892
3R1nk1/5rp1/4Q3/4B3/3pqP2/8/6P1/6K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qe1+ Kh2 Qh4+ Kg1 Qxd8 ]

d)
Lasker vs Eduardo Vasquez, Habana, 1893
[ Qh3 if h6 Nxh6+ mates ]

e)
Black to move and win. Wilhelm Steinitz vs Lasker, New York, 1894
2r3k1/1q1N1bpp/5p2/1P2p3/2r5/6P1/5P1P/1Q1RR1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Be6 if Qd3 Rd4 ]

Lasker vs Capablanca, St Petersburg, 1914


Chess videos by letsplaychess.com

Lasker Puzzles, Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Lasker vs Wilhelm Steinitz, St Petersburg, 1895
[ Qxf4 w/Nf6 ]

b)
Black Mates in 5. Harry Pillsbury vs Lasker, St Petersburg, 1895
8/pp4pk/4Qb1p/3p4/2qP4/K7/P2R2PP/3R4 b - - 0 1
[ ...Qc3+ Ka4 b5+ Kxb5 Qc4+ ]

c)
Black to move and win. Geza Maroczy vs Lasker, London, 1899
3r1rk1/5pp1/1q2p2p/np2P3/4Q3/P7/1B3PPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Nb3 if Rad1 Nd2 ]

d)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Paris, 1909
r2q1rk1/1ppbb1p1/p1np1n1p/4p1N1/3P4/2P1B2P/PPBN1PP1/RQ2R1K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bb3+ if d5 Bxd5 & if Nxd5 Qh7# ]

e)
Black to move and win. David Janowski vs Lasker, Paris, 1909
[ ...g4 w/...Ng5 ]



Lasker Puzzles, Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
a)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Berlin, 1910
2r3k1/p3qppp/2pr4/Q2b4/1P2p3/4P3/P3BPPP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Rxd5 if Rxd5 Qxd5 ]

b)
Lasker vs Dawid Janowski, Berlin, 1910
1r3bk1/2q2ppp/p1p5/4P2r/1P3P2/3RN1Pb/2N2Q1P/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ g4 Rh6 Nf5 ]

c)
Black to move and win. Dawid Janowski vs Lasker, Paris, 1912
[ ...hxg4 Qxg4 Nf5 ]

d)
White Mates in 3. Lasker vs Frank Marshall, St Petersburg, 1914
1k1r4/3b1p2/QP1b3p/1p1p4/3P2pN/1R4P1/KPPq1PP1/4r2R w - - 0 1
[ Qa7+ w/Qa8+ & Qa6# ]

e)
Lasker vs Siegbert Tarrasch, Berlin, 1916
2rrb3/1pkn2pp/p1n1Bp2/4pP2/N7/1P2B1P1/P2RP2P/3R2K1 w - - 0 1
[ Bxd7 Rxd7 Rxd7 w/Bb6+ ]

f)
Black Mates in 3. Max Walter vs Lasker, Ostrava, 1923
4r1k1/3n1ppp/4r3/3n3q/Q2P4/5P2/PP2BP1P/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 1
[ ...Rg6+ ]

g)
Lasker vs J Troxler, Lucerne, 1935
[ Ng5+ ]


Other World Champions
More German GMs

Back to the Main Index